Keeshawn Silver, Avery Stuart and Walker Himebauch enter the NCAA transfer portal

This offseason has already been eventful for the Kentucky Wildcats. The crazy thing is, it’s probably only going to get crazier from here.

With the portal open, the staff and UK players have begun their conversations about whether they want to return to Lexington next season.

Well, Mark Stoops and his staff got the first big roster hit on Tuesday.

According to Pete Nakos of On3has defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver entered his name on the transfer portal.

A former 5-star recruit out of high school, Silver came to Lexington after spending some time in Chapel Hill playing for Mack Brown and North Carolina. After a very productive season in Lexington, Silver will likely command a high price in free agency this offseason.

The Cats also lost a defensive back via the portal today as Avery Stuart entered his name into the portal.

Stuart, a former 4-star high school prospect, was a major recruiting win for the Cats when he chose UK over Auburn and State of Florida in the 2023 recruitment cycle.

After not seeing much time on the field during his two seasons in Lexington, Stuart will be looking for a new home this offseason.

One final note: Backup long snapper Walker Himebauch is entering the portal, he announced on Twitter. Himebauch saw action in all 13 games in 2023 and was the primary snapper for both punts and field goals in nine games following an injury to Ron Gaines. He was the backup to Alex McLaughlin this year.

The dominoes are just starting to fall. It should be a busy end to the week with more names on the way.